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| *Women health>>>Allergies |
Why does past oxycontin addict w/toddler always have open Benadril (allergy/cold relief) pills laying about? |
I have never observed any sneezes or runny nose. IIs she getting some sort of 'relief' from taking them all year? This is a woman, age 25 just got out of rehab for prescription drug abuse of oxycontin and similar medications. Also there has been a lot of Tylenon p.m. laying around in the past. Of course I worry because the toddler (she only has him some days) gets into things and as I write about 10 loose pills are just rolling around loose inside her purse. The woman also has a 2 month old baby so I'm sure she's exhausted and sometimes distracted when she has both in her home. And no, the woman is not seeking any additional ongoing treatment. I doubt she will. She has no phone, no car (too many tickets to be allowed to drive anyway) and lives far from any meetings. No one would want to drive an hour there and back to get her even if she wanted to go. Anyone have any theories as to what is going on here? Also, I believe she did these pills during both pregnancies. Thanks so much. Yes, I know what's going on. When a person is on Oxycontin, their central nervous system is being depressed. This slows your breathing and sedates you. Some people take it for emotional and mental reasons as much as for physical reasons. It dulls pain, physically and emotionally/mentally. Now that the drug is no longer being used, she wants to find another centrally depressing medication to take its place. Of course, it's not nearly as strong as the Oxycontin and won't have nearly the sedating side effects, but it's the only substitute she can get her hands on. And since it's over the counter, it makes it an easy choice. Benadryl is an anti-histamine with sedating properties, on a much weaker scale. But it's probably better than nothing and calming her system down a bit, making the lack of Oxycontin easier to bear. Even if she's physically not addicted to Oxycontin now, mentally and emotionally, she needs the sedative properties of the Benadryl. The only harm I see here is that the baby could get hold of the pills. Can you encourage her to keep the pills in a bottle and up in a cabinet so the baby can't get to it? At lease in a bottle in her purse with a child proof lid and the purse out of reach? Hopefully she will be more responsible to keep the baby safe. Hope this helps. Benadryl and Tylenol PM act like sleeping pills if taken in a high dose. She probably feels like she needs some sort of a relaxer medication, which would replace her oxycontin habit. None of it is a good idea, and it sounds like her babies are put in unneccessary risk. tylenol contains codeine, so that should answer one of your questions. benadryl is in fact for allergies, but regarding that taking lage amounts of opiates may cause effects similar to that of allergies ... i think shes due for rehab again Benadryl and Tylenol PM both contain diphenhydramine hydrochloride. This is also a common ingredient in OTC sleep aids. Maybe she's having trouble sleeping. Many people who are recovering from substance dependence have some lingering symptoms like anxiety, depression or insomnia. Does she have any family or anyone to help her take care of the children? She's in a vulnerable state right now and needs some support. Especially if she's not getting counseling or going to a support group any stress could lead her right back into using. |
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